Udinese and Watford are set to rival Celtic for transfer target Brandon Soppy, according to a French report.
The Rennes right-back is a key target for Ange Postecoglou as he continues his summer rebuild and that position looks bare after Jonjoe Kenny's loan deal finished while Hatem Abd Elhamed and Jeremie Frimpong have both left the club in the last six months.
But competition has emerged for 19-year-old Soppy as the Pozzo family, who own the Serie A side and Premier League Hornets, take a keen interest.
French newspaper L'Equipe insist Celtic do remain in the race and the asking price has been set at €5m.
Parkhead manager Postecoglou meanwhile stressed his club need to continue to press on with new arrivals as he spoke in the wake of a 1-0 friendly defeat against Preston North End.
Kris Ajer is likely to seal a move to Brentford in the coming weeks to tighten his options further ahead of a Champions League clash with Midtjylland on Tuesday night and the boss said: "We are working on multiple fronts.
"It’s pretty clear we need to bring players in.
"That’s not an easy process but we are working hard, hopefully in the next week."
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